FAQs from Dental Hygienists

Recently, we asked on our Hygiene Edge Instagram page about any questions that dental hygienists or dental hygiene students have right now for us. And we had some of the best questions! Since they only last a day, we wanted to talk about them here, just in case other RDHs have a similar question pop up in their practice.

Q: About to start my last year of dental hygiene school! Any advice? Studying? Boards?

A: Start looking for a clinical boards patient right now! Is it ethical to make them wait until the spring to have treatment? Probably not. But now is the perfect time to get looking for one if you’re doing live patient this year. Don’t shy away from a boards prep course. They definitely help narrow down what you need to study and prepare for.

Q: New Grad! What are some helpful tips to manage a full schedule?

A: Look through the day at the beginning of the day to see what radiographs each patients need. Don’t spend time taking them if they aren’t due! If you’re feeling super overwhelmed and they have a full healthy perio chart within the last 6 months, spot probe today and record a full chart at the next appointment. Let the dentist know you’re ready for an exam right after taking radiographs. Then, you’re not waiting for 10-30 minutes after finishing for them to come, putting you more behind then we like to be.

Q: Tips for test anxiety? I failed boards and am retaking it soon!

A: While you’re taking the test, take a break, take a breathe, and then go back and focus on the question. It’s ok to spend a second a regroup before moving onto the next question. Make sure you surround yourself with people who love and support you no matter what. And just remeber- you can totally do this!

Q: What inspired you three to form your company? We really wanted great content for our students! There wasn’t anything available to teach and connect our students with easy to understand ways to instrument or to do injections. And it just grew from there! We definitely know there was/still is a need for great, helpful tips and tricks in dentistry to make our lives easier.

Dental Hygiene Irish Blessing

Dental hygienists amaze me. They are some of the most dedicated groups of people on the planet. I felt this month like writing a little “Dental Hygiene Irish Blessing” to my fellow dental hygienist to get you through the day, week, month and years. We here at Hygiene Edge want you to know that you are doing amazing! Keep up the great work!

May your cavi wipes be full and your glove box never empty.

May your fulcrum feel strong and your magnification not weak.

May your alginate not be too runny and your stone not too thick. 

May your PPE be cool and your ultrasonic tips not be too hot.

May your patients be kind and your office manager not mean. 

May your work week feel short and your weekend long.

May you feel like a valued team member and be the one that patients remember. 

May you be rich in your hygiene blessings from this day forward. 

-Shelley Brown, RDH

Silly Things Patients Do

I love a good “silly patient” story. You know the ones that have you shaking your head with a little giggle under your mask.  Having had my own husband pull off his braces with pliers from the cabin tool box on a trip to Yellowstone has made me no stranger to the silly things that patients do. I hope you too have a good time reading the following “silly patient” list from other clinicians. 

• Trimming an operculum or frenum with toenail clippers

• Using crazy or super glue to glue on crowns or broken teeth

• Pull his own teeth while intoxicated 

• Using a dremel or nail file to smooth teeth

• Had a nail tech make her own veneers with acrylic

• Items used for home care

  • Oxiclean laundry detergent 

  • Comet cleaner

  • Rinsing with bleach

  • Rinsing with half pool chlorine cleaner half water

I would love to hear of some of the “silly” things you have experienced your patients doing.

Step Up Your Customer Service

Looking for ways to step up your customer service? It is the small things that will set your practice apart. Here is a list of ideas to keep patients coming back, and referring friends. 

1. If you're not already, do an oral cancer screening and inform your patient you are doing one. It is the standard of care, but not all clinicians make the time. If you do the patients WILL see the value and keep coming back to you.

2. Neck pillow: get a really nice neck shaped pillow that still allows you to keep your ergonomics perfect. 

3. Virtual reality glasses.  This new concept lets patients wear VR Goggles so they can watch a movie up close. Working around them can be a challenge just like working around a nitrous oxide nose piece. Check some out HERE 

4. Let them choose the music station:  You could have a Beats Pill speaker and a music subscription so the patient can listen to whatever they prefer in your operatory. You can also get headphones so that only the patient hears the music. 

5. Switch up the smell: Always be cautious of using scents as they can be irritating to some. With that said there are all sorts of dental products that make the office smell...well like the dentist. You can try essential oils on the patient cover, diffusers, candles or sprays, just be sure it is MILD. Check some out HERE 

6. Use a blanket: I know you NEED to work in a cool environment which makes it so that patients freeze. Giving the patient a blanket can make all the difference. You could get slightly weighted ones as well. You can let the patient keep the blanket or wash them daily. 

7. Flowers: Roses, succulents, tulips; get some fresh flowers for the front desk and them give them to a patient that day. 

8. Handwritten note of thanks. You can pre-write them and put them in the goodie bag or send them out in the mail.  

9. Warm towels to wipe the face after treatment. 

10. Water bottle with your office info. 

11. Use Sunglasses: Give Sunglasses for safety glasses as they block out those bright dental lights. 

Check out our Amazon store front to see many of these items in action HERE. 

Considering a Commission Based Pay Model?

Thinking about taking a job with a commission based pay model ? Or would you like to moved to a commission based pay model? Whatever the reason, below are questions to ask and things to consider before accepting the job.

Questions To Ask If Commission Pay is Offered

1. Is this straight commission or comission plus a base pay? 

2. Will I be paid on production or collections?

• If production will this be net or gross?

3. Do I get commission on the dentists exam as it is done in hygiene?  

4. Do I get commission on products I sell? 

5. Are there any services or products that I don’t earn commission on?  

6. What is your now show policy and do I receive commission on the no-show fee? 

7. Consider asking what their previous hygienist produced the year prior. 

8. Consider asking to see if the schedule is full and booked out 6 months.

9. Consider asking for commissions on the sale of cosmetic procedures such as orthodontic clear aligners, veneers etc.

10. If you have negotiated a deal to work on some type of commission pay, get the offer in writing. 

Things To Keep in Mind If Accepting a Job with Commission Pay

1. Consider that you are getting a piece of the pie. The more you produce the more you make.  

2. Consider that you get a raise when you increase your fee’s. 

3. If working on commissions it is important to run your practice with ethics. Remember the mantra, “I recommend for products and services that patients NEED.”  If  the patient won’t benefit from this then don’t do it. 

4. How do I make more money if I work off of commission? Add in more products and services such as in-office whitening, oral cancer screening tools, lasers, silver diamine fluoride treatments, Laser, Arestin, sensitivity treatments, sleep apnea screenings/appliances, night guards, toothbrushes, toothpastes and rinses. 

SLOB Rule

In your radiology classes, remember learning the SLOB rule? This is a handy little technique to use to figure out where an abscess is, trauma is, etc on a 2D image from a 3D human. Now with cone beam technology, this little rule isn’t used as often. But, if your office doesn’t have a cone beam, or your patient isn’t willing to pay the extra money for the more advanced radiograph, you can try out this method. Check out the video below that explains the rule.

Tell Us You're a Dental Hygienist....

There are so many things so specific to dentistry that really, no one else can relate to unless they’re in the profession as well.

What would you say to this question?

Dentrix Tips from Hygiene Edge

We aren’t going to lie- we know and use Dentrix the most. For the majority of all three of our careers, we’ve been using Dentrix in offices to schedule patients, chart, take radiographs, plus so much more. So we feel the most comfortable with that software program.

We’re excited to be sharing some helpful tricks and tips on Dentrix on our YouTube Channel! These short, helpful videos will each teach 1 little tidbit to help your practice learn and trouble shoot your questions.

Make sure you subscribe to our channel for the latest updates and to be in the know of when videos go live.

Successful Transition into Private Practice for the New RDH

Congratulations to the class of 2021! Can you believe we made it through the last year, let alone finishing dental hygiene school through it? Some days, I’m so surprised it actually worked out. But mainly, I’m so proud of all the dental hygiene students going through this year with such a heavy school workload that happens in dental hygiene school.

Now that you’ve completed your schooling, you can definitely do anything. The next step? Finding the perfect job and office to learn and grow in. And we want to help with that transition! We’re holding a Zoom meeting on Thursday, April 29 @ 7pm MST to chat about all things of private practice and answer any of your questions you may have.

Sign up today to save your seat, and have the the Zoom information emailed to you the date before.

https://www.hygieneedge.com/shop/a-successful-transition-into-private-practice

#ConquerCavities with Crest Oral-B

February has been one of our favorite months for years. This year, it was even better being able to celebrate with Crest and Oral-B Together, We Can #ConquerCavities Campaign! Throughout February, dental professionals could nominate their favorite dental office for a chance to win 1,200 kids electric toothbrush systems as well as oral care education kits to help give back to underserved kids in their communities. These kids definitely deserve to have great oral and overall health, and this campaign will help so many children to achieve this at home. Did the office you nominate win? Check out the winners on dentalcare.com today and join us in congratulating and celebrating them!

Do you recommend electric toothbrushes to your pedo patients? Honestly, we don’t feel like we recommend them enough to kids. But, these tiniest patients could greatly benefit from using an electric toothbrush by decreasing dental biofilm and in turn, hopefully help #conquercavities. A few benefits for pediatric patients while using an electric toothbrush:

1. Children starting at 3 years old can benefit from using an electric toothbrush.

2. Most electric toothbrushes have a 2 minute timer, and research shows that having a built in timer extends how long your patient brushes for. Most people brush for 30 seconds, but adding the timer ups the time to around 1-2 minutes.

3. Children love the interactive nature of electric toothbrushes and how they can make brushing different and fun.

We’ve definitely added the electric toothbrush conversation to parents this month, and noticed how excited parents have been about it. We challenge you to start sharing the importance and benefits of using electric toothbrushes to your young patients and their parents, to help decrease biofilm in our littlest and more vulnerable patient population.

Thank you to Crest Oral-B for supporting us at Hygiene Edge and for supporting dental professionals to help this much needed pedo population.

#ConquerCavities #SmileCouncil #ForceForGood @HygienistProud